Washing machine



2 Sheets-Sheet gwue'ntoz 35 @btowe Feb. 25, 1930. G. 1.. DAVIS WASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 28. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet Svwcwto:

Patented Feb. 25 1939 unrrso s'r'rss PATENI GEORGE L. DAVIS, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO NINETEEN HUNDRED CORPORATION,

OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK WASHING MACHINE Application filed August 28, 1924. Serial No. 734,564.

This invention relates to domestic washing machines of the agitator type, -and particularly to such machines, in which the oscillating agitator is below the clothes instead of 5 above them.

A machine of this general type is disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,496,305, June 3, 1924, to Doughty and Davis. In that patent the advantages of a submerged agitator as compared to an overlying agitator are pointed out. And it is alsopointed out that if the vanes upon the submerged agitator are symmetrically arranged, there results a marked tendency for a single one of the many pieces of laundry in the tub to cling to the agitator, thus interfering with the efficiency of the machine in Washing. To overcomethis difficulty, those patentees provided an agitator having a number of radial vanes on its upper surface, arranged unsymmetrically,

as,'for example, by leaving a greater space between two of them than between any other two.

The object of the present invention is to 'ovide a submerged agitator which will possess all of the advantages of the agitator of the aforesaid patent, and at the same time gige increased agitation to the contents of the tu A further object of the invention is to provide a submerged agitator which shall be easy and economical to make, and which will minimize the wear and tear upon the clothes with which it comes in contact in the washing operation.

' Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

' In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of the present 1a., vention, Fig.,.1is a front elevation of the 40 machine as a whole, Fig. 2 isa horizontal cross section of the tub and agitator, looking down upon it, and Fig. 3 is a vertical section.

taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

I The machine shownin Fig. 1 of the drawing comprises a suitable frame 10 upon which is mounted the stationary tube 11. This tub is preferably made of sheet metal, though, of course, wood may be employed. Also mounted upon the frame 10 is the wringer 42 which may be of any desired type, but preferably it is arranged to swing about its vertical driving shaft as an axis.

At the bottom of the tub 11, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is the agitator 12 which is mounted removably-preferably splinedupon its actuating shaft 14.

Any suitable means may be provided for oscillating the shaft 14. As here shown, these means include thepinion 15 mounted upon the shaft and the rack16 mounted upon the connecting rod 17. 'The connecting rod is reciprocated by the crank 18, which is driven through suitable gearing from the motor 19. Normally the spring 49 holds the connecting rod in position 'so that the rack 16 is in mesh with the pinion 15 and so that the shaft 14 and agitator 12 are oscillated through the power transmitted through the connecting rod 17. However means, under the control 'of the operator, such, for example, as are indicated at 20, 21 and 22, are provided for moving the connecting rod away so that the rack 16 is free of the pinion 15, when it is desired to stop the agitator. 1

The wringer is preferably operated by the motor 19, also, through gearing which may be -controlled in a well known manner through the wringer clutch-handle 23.

Coming now to the construction of the agitator 12 itself, it is preferably, though not necessarily, in the form of an inverted cone. ,And it has but a single major vane 13.

is the result of much experimentation. And it has been found that by employing a submerged agitator, with but a single major vane, shaped in general like the one shown, remarkable efiiciency is attained.

It will be understood, of course, that the efficiency of any Washing machine depends not only upon the degree of agitation produced within the tub, but also upon the extent to which all of the clothes within the tub are subject to that agitation. For example if, in the machineillustrated, the clothes remained throughout the washing operation in the same relation tov each other, i. e. if the top clothes remaind on top and the bottom ones on the bottom, etc., the efliciency of the The contour and arrangement of this vane' and its height decreases gradually from there to its inner end, just beyond the center. The

vane is of sufiicient width to give itthe requisite stability and to avoid anything in the nature of sharp edges which might injure the clothing. As shown, all of its surfaces are rounded. Also its Width gradually increases from top to bottom.

' tor depends.

No attempt is here made to explain, in detail, the mechanical and hydraulic principles upon which the operation of this novel agita- Suffice it to say that this agitator does, in fact, produce currents or eddies of such a kind and in such directions that all of the clothes are subjected to extremely etficient agitation and washing. There is no tendency for any of the clothes to remain in contact with the agitator an excessivelength of time, but on the other hand all of the clothes are constantly being moved from top to bottom and vice versa,- aswell as in a horizontal direction. While I do not wish to be bound by any particular theory of *operation of my improved device. it is my opinion that there are two reasons why my agitator with a single major vane overcomes satisfactorily the tendency of particular pieces of clothing to cling to the agitator. The first is that the single major agitator produces a strong, concentrated current which brings to bear a strong force acting in a definite direction to remove the clothing from the agitator, whereas the well known multi-vane agitators set up a number of diverse currents whose combined effect is not to remove the clothing from the agitator, but onthe contrary, to hold it on the agitator. The second ofthese'reasons is that the rapid reversals of movement of the agitator has a tendency to throw the clothing off from the single major vane, whereas when a multi-vane agitator 1s used the throwing ofl of clothing from one vane, if it occurs at all, is generally followed by its being caught by other vanes. The

- overcoming of this tendency of'the clothes to cling to the agitator not only makes for efficient washing, but also eliminates the extremely hard wear to which garments are.

subjected when they oscillatin agitator.

While have shown but one -.particular form of agitator embodying my invention,

cling to the rapidly but one form of washing machine 68 equipped with such an agitator, it is to as well as separate agitators. many similar varlatio-ns w1th1n the scope of be understood that my invention is not limited to this exact form of agitator or to any particular form of washing machine. On the contrary, many changes may be made in the disclosure hereof without departing from my invention. For ex-' ample, agitators embodying my invention may be provided with smaller vanes in addition to the vane here shown, which I- term the major vane. So also the surface of the agitator itself may be modified as may the particular shape of the major vane. Again, although I have here shown my invention as applied to a stationary tub machine,

it is appllcable also to machines in which the tub oscillates, the bottom of the tub itself being provided with a vane and constitutingthe agitator. The term agitator as used in the claims is intended to cover agitators formed integral with'the tub or container, There are my invention, which will occur to those skilled in the art.

In certain of the appended claims the agitator is described as a cting upon the contents of the container to cause them to move up and down and from one side to the other of the container. This description of the movement of the tub contents is intended to.

difierentiate from the symmetrical movement produced by an agitator which has a plural- 1ty of symmetrically arranged blades of equal size (four, for example), and which instead of causing the contents to move from one side ating said agitator, said agitator including a single 11121101" vane extending from approx mately the center of the agitator to approximately its outer edge.

2. In a. washing machine, a container, an agitator located'therein, and means for actuating said agitator, said agitator includmga single major vane extending, and gradually increasing in height, from approximately the center of the agitator to approximately its outer edge. v

3. In a washing machine, a container, an

agitator located adjaoent'the bottom thereof,

and. means for actuating said agitator, said agitator including upon its upper surface av single major vaneextending from approximately the center of'the agitator to approxi matel its outer edge.

4. na wash1ngmach1ne,-a container, an

agitator located adjacent the bottomthereof,

and means for actuatings'aid agitator, said agitator including upon its upper surface a single major vane extending, and gradually increasing in height, from approximately the center of the agitator to approximately its outer edge. I

5. In a washing machine, a container, an agitator located adjacent the bottom thereof, and means for actuating said agitator, said agitator including upon its upper surface a single major vane extending from approximately the center of the agitator to approximately its outer edge, said major vane gradually increasing in width from top to bottom.

6. In a washing machine, a container, an agitator located adjacent the bottom thereof, and means for actuating said ag'itator, said agitator including upon its upper surface a single major vane extending, and gradually increasing in height, from approximately the center of the agitator to approximately its outer edge said major vane gradually increasing, afso, in width, from top to bottom.

'7. In a washing machine, a container, an agitator located adjacent the bottom thereof, and means for actuating said agitator, said agitator having a conical surface and including a single major vane extending, and gradually increasing in height, from approximately the center of the agitator to approximately' its outer edge. I

8. In a washing machine, a container, an agitator located adjacent the bottom thereof, and means for actuating said agitator, said agitator being in the form of an inverted cone and being provided with a single major vane extending, and gradually increasing in height, from approximately the center of the agitator to approximately its outer edge.

9. In a washing machine, a container, an agitator located adjacent the bottom thereof, and means for actuating said agitator, the upper surface of said agitator being in the form of an inverted cone and being provided with a major vane extending and gradually increasing in height from approximately the center of the agitator to approximately its outer edge, said major vane gradually in creasing, also, in width from top to bottom.

10. In a washing machine and the like, a body portion having a smooth surface, and an impelling projection extending from said surface and located to one side of the central part of said surface, the remainder of said surface being smooth and free of projections.

11. In a washing machine, an agitator member comprising a plate having a smooth surface, a single blade extending along a line in said surfacebetween the central and edge portions of the plate and substantially normally to the surface of the plate.

12. -In a washing machine, the combination of a tub and an alternately rotatable agitator comprising an eccentrically located single major impeller for acting upon the contents ofthe tub.

13. In a Washing machine having a tub and operating means, an alternately rotatable agitator in the tub andoperativly connected to said-means, said agitator-having a single major blade and being concaved and arranged in inverted position to present the blade and the concaved portion thereof to the contents of the tub.

14. In a washing machine having a con tainer for holding a cleansing fluid and material to be cleansed, an agitator in the con tainer, means for alternately rotating the agitator, said agitator having a single major eccentric means extending from the agitator for acting upon the contentsof the container to cause a movement of the contents up and down and from one side to the other side of the container.

15. In a washing machine having a container for holding a cleansing fluid and material to be cleansed, an agitator in the container, means for alternately rotating the agitator, said agitator having a single major blade extending from the face of the agitator and arranged to effect a movement of the contents up and down and from one side to the other side of the container.

16. In a washing machine having a container for holding a cleansing fluid and material to be cleansed, an agitator in the container, means for alternately rotatlng the agitator, said agitator having a single major blade of substantial axial width and arranged to effect a movement of the contents up and down and from one side to the other side of the container.

17. In a washing machine having a container for holding a cleansing fluid and material to be cleansed, an agitator in the container, means for alternately rotating the agitator, said agitator having a single major impelling blade extending along a radiusof the agitator and having a substantial axial width to effect movement of the contents up and down and from one side to the other side of the container.

18. In a washing machine having a container for holding a cleansing fluid and material to be cleansed, an agitator in the container, means for alternately rotating the agitator, said agitator having asingle major impelling blade substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the agitator and eccentrically thereto to efiect a movement of the contents up and down and from one side to the other side of the container.

19. In a washing machine, a container and an agitator located adjacent the bottom of the container, said agitator comprising an alternately rotatable member having a single asymmetrically disposed impelling portion extending upwardly therefrom.

20. In a washing machine, a container, an agitator located therein. and means for actuating said agitator, said agitator including a single major vane extending from approximately the center of the container toward its outer wall.

21. In a washing machine, a container, an agitator located adjacent the bottom thereof, and means for actuating said agitator, said 7 agitator including a single major vaneextending from approximately th center of the container toward its outer wall.

22. An agitator for washing machines, comprising an alternately rotatable body portion and a single asymmetrically disposed impelling portion extending substantially normally from said bo'dv portion.

GEORGE L. DAVIS. 

